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About this project

What is Five by Five?

Five by Five alludes to the core of Chinese herbal medicine and my inspiration behind these bitters: The five flavors (sweet, spicy, salty, sour and bitter) and the five elements. (earth, metal, water, wood and fire) All botanicals carry at least one of the five flavors, and all humans predominantly reflect at least one of the five elements. A well made tonic should have a proper balance of flavor based on its application.

Handcrafted and Intelligently Designed Cocktail Bitters

Bitters: the unspoken staple of the traditional cocktail. While they only make up a small percentage of a drink, they impart a massive portion of the overall flavor. When mixed properly, bitters create a dynamic and interesting beverage. Five by Five is about the notion that when bitters are made properly, they redefine the beverage. I am using my training as an herbalist to create a well balanced, handcrafted bitters entirely by hand!

Herbalist inspired

That's me! One of my teachers in graduate school used to refer to the herbs we studied as “our friends.” She was hinting to the fact that we need to spend time to really get to know these herbs on a very basic level. This always stuck with me as I really started to enjoy spending time with these different botanicals. I have spent years becoming familiar with the way that herbs blend and interact in combination with each other.

Process-oriented Crafting

The crafting of Five by Five’s Aromatic Bitters is far more than merely mixing botanicals with alcohol and water. Each herb or spice in our ingredient list is chosen because it has a certain “personality”. Because of this, it takes time and thought to put together botanicals that compliment one another synergistically. Each step of the process from sourcing ingredients, extracting, blending and bottling these bitters even designing logos and labels will be done entirely by my own hands.

Homage to tradition, Redefining tradition

In earlier times, bitters often served the purpose of often masking rough-tasting liquors used in cocktails. Certainly during prohibition this was the case. Where production quality spirits were not available, bootleggers produced spirits any way they could to supply speakeasies and the like (enter: bathtub gin and moonshine whiskey). From this came some of the most beloved cocktails like the Old-Fashioned and the Martinez. Cocktails like these are characterized by the subtle aromatic flavors of bitters.

Times have changed! Artisan spirit producers today are developing spirits with amazingly sophisticated flavors. Modern bitters recipes should serve to accentuate these flavors rather than mask them. This opens up the possibility for re-crafting old recipes of bitters to fit what is being used in cocktails today.

What we need funds for!

Basically, I need funds for the raw ingredients and equipment necessary to produce the first 1000 bottles of Aromatic Bitters. That’s it! First and foremost, not a penny of these pledge dollars will go toward any living expenses. I am running this campaign to raise the funds for the raw ingredients and equipment only, so you know your donations will go directly into the product. This may include items like raw goods like herbs and spices, alcohol, storage and blending tanks, bottles or labels.

How Pledges Work

The goal I set out is exactly the amount needed to get the flagship batch up and running. If we come up short even by $1, the campaign won’t get funded. However, there is no limit to the amount that can be raised. Read ahead on "Stretch Goals" to see how this project can be expanded!

Stretch Goals

This first batch of Aromatic Bitters is born out of my passion to create an elegant and well-balanced cocktail bitters. However, this is not the only flavor I have in mind! Setting a stretch goal will allow me to expand the original goal and roll out a second flavor. I'll make it simple, if this project is funded to 200% of the projected goal ($7000 total) I will be able to produce 1000 bottles of a second bitters product, which will be revealed once the original goal is reached. A hint: It's time to rethink citrus bitters!

Rewards

Pledge $5 or more

Pledge $25 or more

Given the name, how could we not have this donation amount? Donate $25 to this project and have a hand-signed bottle of Five by Five Aromatic bitters sent to you!

Estimated delivery:Nov 2012

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Pledge $50 or more

42 backers

Donate $50 and have 2 bottles of Five by Five Aromatic Bitters sent to you.

Estimated delivery:Nov 2012

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Pledge $75 or more

15 backers

Donate $75 and have 3 bottles of Five by Five Aromatic Bitters sent to you!

Estimated delivery:Nov 2012

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Pledge $100 or more

13 backers

Donate $100 and you'll get 3 bottles of Five by Five Aromatic Bitters along with a personal invitation to the Five by Five speakeasy inspired launch party here in Chico, CA. More details on this as we near the goal, but dust off your fancy clothes just in case.

Estimated delivery:Dec 2012

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Pledge $200 or more

7 backers

Donate $200 and receive a case (12 bottles) of Five by Five Aromatic Bitters plus your personal invitation to the Five by Five speakeasy inspired launch party in Chico, CA. More details on this as we near the goal, but dust off your fancy clothes just in case.